Chargé d'Affaires MATSUDA Kenichi on Wednesday attended the ceremonial opening event for the project, “Assistance for Security, Peace, Integration, and Recovery for Advancing Human Security in BARMM (ASPIRE)” in Kabuntalan, Maguindanao del Norte.

Launched in late 2022, the Government of Japan provided Grant Aid of 579 million Japanese Yen for the ASPIRE project to be implemented by the UNDP. The project aims to establish a system for the management and reduction of privately-owned Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) and support the socio-economic development of residents in target communities selected jointly by the MILF and the government of the Philippines.

Maguindanao del Norte is one of the pilot sites identified after a series of discussions among stakeholders since last year. Due to a long history of conflict, Maguindanao del Norte has struggled with poverty, instability, and the proliferation of SALWs. Through this project, Kabuntalan and North Upi, the two target communities in Maguindanao del Norte, will receive capacity development assistance for sustainable livelihoods related to fishing, farming, and entrepreneurship. Additionally, residents will undergo educational sessions to explain the risks of owning SALWs and promote their management and reduction.

Following the successful implementation of the ASPIRE project in Basilan, Chargé d'Affaires MATSUDA expressed confidence in “our collective capability to bring about a future in the Province of Maguindanao del Norte heralded not by the roar of gunfire, but by the bustle of a happy and prosperous people.”

Joining Chargé d'Affaires MATSUDA were Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Presidential Assistant David B. Diciano; Maguindanao del Norte Governor Abdulraof Macacua; Peace Implementing Panel (PIP) GPH Co-Chair Cesar Yano; Member of the Bangsamoro Parliament and PIP Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Member Ali Salik; Joint Normalization Committee Co-Chairs Akmad Brahim and Ariel Hernandez; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Selva Ramachandran; and many relevant stakeholders.

Japan has been contributing to the Peace Process for more than two decades. To date, over $515 million in more than 100 projects have been undertaken under the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development.